Eagles Swoop In As The Netherlands' Newest Counter-Terrorism Weapon

Dutch police’s new counter-terrorism approach might still be in its trial phase, but it is way beyond most people’s expectations.

Forget drug-sniffing dogs; a European country is taking the idea of using animals to fight crime to an entirely new level.

Animals aren't just memes we coo over; humans use them all the time to help benefit mankind. Interestingly, law enforcement agencies in the Netherlands have now figured out a way to use eagles to deal with terrorism, of all things.

Dutch police are reportedly working on ways to train the birds to take out drones launched by criminals and terrorists, and bring them back to authorities for investigation. The counter-terrorism agency NCTB along with ministries of justice and defense are working on even more measures to combat drones.

A video released by the police shows exactly how eagles will help with controlling the drones. The clip (posted above) shows one bird holding a drone in its talons and bringing it to the ground. Basically the bird is trained to detect the device as prey and take it to a safe place, away from other birds or humans.

“Everyone can get hold of a drone, and that includes people who want to misuse them,” police spokesperson Michel Baeten told Nos. “It is a multifunctional piece of equipment and that means you can launch an attack with them as well.”

The project is still in its trial phase and the decision about whether eagles will be used to take out drones will be finalized in a couple of months.

Using birds of prey to counter terrorism is indeed a huge step. Hopefully, if the plan is actually implemented, it might be able to prevent many instances where drones are being used for attacks.